It is definitely “Picnic Season” and one of the best things about summertime and warm weather is enjoying a picnic on the beach or in a park. Make sure you don’t spoil the day with spoiled food. Recently the FDA updated their information on outdoor food safety. Keep these tips for transport and serving in mind for your next dinner on the grounds
Transport Your Foods
• Keep cold food cold! Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold
or below 40°F.
• Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable foods in another.
• Meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while it is still frozen so that it stays colder longer. Be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood securely wrapped so their juices don’t contaminate cooked foods or foods eaten raw.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins
and rinds that are not eaten.
• Dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth towel or paper towel.
• Keep the cooler in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of your car, rather
than in a hot trunk. Limit the times the cooler is opened.
Serving the Goodies
• Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
• Do not use a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood for anything else unless the plate has first been washed in hot, soapy water.
• Hot food should be kept hot, at or above 140°F. Wrap well and place in an insulated
container.
• Foods like chicken salad and desserts in individual serving dishes can also be placed
directly on ice, or in a shallow container set in a deep pan filled with ice. Drain off water as ice melts and replace ice frequently.
• Don’t let perishable food sit out longer than 2 hours.
• Food should not sit out for more than 1 hour in temperatures above 90°F
Give these picnic hits a try!
Spicy Pimento Cheese Balls
(I basically used my favorite pimento cheese recipe to make these)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened, about ¼ cup
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, hand shredded
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, hand shredded
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped pimento, drained
1 teaspoon grated onion
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch or more to taste, red pepper
1 tablespoon of jalapeno peppers, chopped, more or less to taste
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans, toasted or not toasted
Pretzel sticks, optional

Process cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add cheddar, Monterey Jack, mayonnaise, pimentos, onion, jalapenos, black pepper, and red pepper, and pulse to combine.
Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Place pecans in a medium bowl. Rol the cheese mixture into 1-inch balls and coat each ball evenly with pecans.
Serve at room temperature. You can use pretzel sticks for serving if desired.
Yields 3 ½ dozen, each cheese ball contains; Calories 66, Fat 6g., Carbohydrates 1g., Protein 3g.
Favorite Egg Salad
6 large eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon capers
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper to taste.
Mix in the onions, then fold in the eggs, chives, dill, and capers.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Stir season additionally if needed and serve. Serves 4.
Loaded Pasta Salad
For the Salad
3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta, or your favorite shape
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups arugula
1 cup fresh cucumbers, sliced in rounds
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup basil leaves, roughly torn
½ cup minced fresh parsley
½ cup chopped mint leaves, optional
For the Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente.
For the dressing, combine in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, Italian dressing, red pepper flakes and salt.
To complete the recipe, drain the pasta, toss it with a little olive oil and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl with the tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, basil, parsley, and mint, if using. Pour the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with more lemon, salt, pepper, and/or drizzle of olive oil, if desired, and serve. Serves 6.
Cowboy Caviar
1 1/3 diced Roma tomatoes
1 ¼ teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
½ cup diced red onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 jalapeno peppers, diced, more or less as desired
1 medium red or orange bell pepper, diced
1, 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1, 15.5 ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
Gather all ingredients
Combine tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, tossing to coat.
Pour tomato mixture out onto a double layer of paper towels; let stand 10 minutes.
In same large bowl, stir together lime zest, lime juice, black pepper, garlic powder, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Stir in corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, bell pepper, black beans, black-eyed peas, and tomatoes.
Serve right away, or cover and chill before serving.
Creamy Fresh Cucumber Salad
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 medium to large fresh cucumbers, thinly sliced in rounds
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Whisk the sour cream, dill, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
Add cucumbers and onions, toss to coat. Make a day ahead and refrigerate to meld the flavors.
Serves 6, each serving, using the sour cream contains; Calories 67, Fat 6g., Carbohydrates 3g., and Protein 1g.